Knightly family

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Sir Micah Helstaven's Belt, from his squire days, bearing the Heraldry of each member of his Belt line. From the left to the right, Michael Hammer of God, Fnord Farthing, Morgan Ironwolf, Crom Ironwolf, Zachry Ironwolf and Micah's own.

A knightly family, often called a belt line or a belted lineage, is the term for the people who are belted under a particular knight.

What is it?

Where did you come from? Were you ever a Squire a Page... a Knight? If you were or are it is all part of your Belt line, your 'Knightly family'; who came before you and who will come after. A term used to refer to the "lineage" of a knight's Belt. People are generally assigned to the family of the knight they were Squire to at the time they were knighted; people who are not squires when they are knighted are either assigned to the family of the last knight they were squired to, or start their own knightly family.

Example: When he was knighted, Sir Brennen MacGregor was considered to be part of Sir Auromax Silverhawk's lineage due to their long association, even though he had been "fired" and was no longer Auromax's squire.

On the other hand, Brennen's grand-knight, Sir Thorn Crossbearer, was not a squire and had no longstanding association with a particular knight when he received his belt, and so started his own knightly family.

The term is also used to refer to a group of squires, men-at-arms, and page that are all beholden to a particular knight. That is, it is made up of a knight, that knight's squires, those squires' pages and men-at-arms, and any pages or men-at-arms directly under the knight.

Usually on these pages a belt lines are recorded like this.

"Before Sir Cutari Roskara was welcomed into the peerage in the order of the Crown she was squire to Dame Weilok, who was squire to Sir Greywalker, who was Squire to Dame Andralaine, who was squire to Deth the dire hearted, who was squire to Gilos Dawnhope, who was Squire to Tawnee Darkfalcon"

They are generally self explaining. But it is interesting to find connections in Beltlines, people who knew each other, or how they stretch over different kingdoms.

What does it mean?

Really? Nothing. Beltlines are even more varied and inconsistent than the relationships that spawn them. You could for instance have a close line like Auromax Silverhawk who squired Lief McPayne Who squired Sparhawk Kingfisher who Squired Ice who Squired Kerb. When Ice was knighted in the order of the Sword, Auromax, Leif and Sparhawk held the sword together. But in other belt lines a Squire might not even know their knight's history, or if they were squired before being belted at all.

Founts

There are more than a handful of 'Founts'. They are progenitors of their own lines. Here is a most likely incomplete listing of 'Founts', in alphabetical order.

• Ahira
• Aurora Selene
• Ausric Blackwolf
• Balthazar
• Baelnorn
• Blackhawk
• Blade Blackfang
• Bowen
• Cabal
• Chewie
• Clalibus
• Crosser
• Dan The Man
• Darva
• Downfall
• Drakknar
• Elizabeth
• Esoum
• Ewen McFadden
• Flynn Lyton Telemon
• Glenalth
• Hitorimono
• Jaxom Jacobson
• Johann Von Grimmelshausen
• Kamal Mustafa
• Karyllon Illyrica Radmoor
• Kaz de Kinky
• Kindyr
• Ladyhawk Longwing
• Lego Bluesummers
• Leonardo
• Luke Wyngarde
• Lynae
• M'deth
• Michael Hammer of God
• Monkey
• Morgan Kirkpatrick
• Nevron Dreadstar
• Pebyr
• Qintahr Woodhelven
• Raphael
• Robin
• Tawnee
• Terarin
• Testocles
• Tholden
• Thorn Crossbearer
• Tomahomie
• Valerus Elwing Thorne
• Voshe
• Wisp Nemoralis
• Yonnah
• Zircon

In the Beginning

In the beginning there was only one knight, Peter la Grue; because of this there was no knights circle in the early days of the Burning Lands. Then only another knight could make knights. So when you read the histories from that time where it mentions who squired whom, sometimes that actually means that the Knight literally gave Knighthood to the Squired party. This is especially true of Tawnee, Nashomi, Gilos, M'Deth and Heimdale. All of these were early monarchs of Amtgard, and whom ever they knighted became part of their knightly families.

Links

• Cross-Country Beltlines
• The Knight/Squire Relationship